Implement for removing shoe-buttons.



S. KLEIN. IMPLEMENT FOR REMOVING SHOEBUTTONS. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 19, 1914.

1,133,805. Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

14-15 NORRIS PETERS c0., PHDTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTUN, D. c,

STANISLAW KLEIN, OF COLLEGE POINT, NEW YORK.

IMPLEMENT FOR REMOVING- SHOE-BUTTONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed November 19, 1914. Serial No. 872,931.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANISLAW KLEIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of College Point, borough of Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Implements for Removing Shoe-Buttons, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to a new and improved implement for removing or detaching the shoe buttons from shoes.

Buttons are secured to shoes either by sewing them on or'by means of a metal fastener in the form of a U-shaped wire clip, commonly known as a two pronged clip or stud. In fitting shoes, it very often becomes necessary to detach the buttons and reattach them so that the shoe will properly fit on the foot or ankle part of the wearer and in removing the sewed buttons by means of a scissors, the leather is frequently cut and at best it is a laborious'job and in removing the two pronged' or wire fasteners or like fasteners, it has been customary to cut the wire by means of a pair of nippers and in doing so the leather is frequently damaged and furthermore the ends of the prongs remained in the lining and had to be removed with more or less difficulty. .As these buttons must be removed and again attached in fitting the shoe and this is usually done by the salesman who sells the shoe and for which he receives no extra compensation, it is very essential that the buttons be removed rapidly and thoroughly without damaging the shoe and in a perfect manner.

. The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved tool or implement by means of which shoe buttons, either sewed on or secured by means of a two pronged clip, can be removed easily and rapidly without damaging the button or the shoe upper or its lining and which tool is very handy, compact, simple in construction, strong, durable and easily manipulated.

In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures:'Figure 1 is a view of one face of my improved shoe button removing implement, open ready for use. Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite face, open ready for use. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but the implement closed, that is in a position which it has for detaching the button from the upper. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line ma: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line y Fig. 3. F 1g. 6 is an edge view of part of the implement open, before removing a button. Fig. 7 is a similar view closed as it is for removing the button. Fig. 8 is a side view of the shoe button with one of the two pronged fastening clips.

The preferred embodiment of my new and mproved shoe button removing device shown 1n the drawings is composed of two disks 1 and 2 resting flat on each other and pivoted to each other by a central screw bolt 3 secured 1n place by a nut 4. The disk 1 has a handle 5 and the disk 2 has a handle 6, which handles are normally separated by a coiled spring 7 surrounding the central pivot 3 and having one end in a substantially radlal groove 8 on the inner surface of one disk and the other end in a radial groove 9 on the inner surface of the other disk so that this spring normally holds the handles apart. The disk 1 is provided in its edge with a recess 10 having the beveled edge 11 and a beveled edge12 beyond the latter of which the beveled edge 13 of a steel blade 14 pro ects, one surface of the blade 14 resting upon the inner surface of the disk 2 which is provided with a notch 15, which notch when the implement is opened is about at the center of the recess 10.

For the purpose of cutting off a sewed button, the implement is slipped under the button in such a way that the button eye passes into the notch 15 and then when the two handles 5 and 6 are pressed toward each other, the edge of the blade 14: sweeps over the notch 15 and cuts off the thread without in any way damaging the leather or cutting the same as the edge of the blade 14 is above the surface of the leather a distance equal to the thickness of the disk 2.

Substantially diametrically opposite the recess 10 and the notch 15, the two plates are provided with kidney shaped recesses 16, which register when the tool is open as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By the kidney shaped recess 16 in the upper plate 1 two opposite prongs 17 and 18 are formed, the prong 18 being out off square as shown at 19. The prong 17 is provided on the outer surface of the disk 1 with a transverse stop piece 20 and between said transverse stop piece 20 and the end of the prong a vertical slot 21 is formed, 'whichextends through the thickness of the prong and is slightly flared at its open end as shown at 22. At the underside of the prong 17, this slot 21 is also flared as indicated at 53, Fig. 2 and on theunderside of the prong 17, two lugs 32 and 23 are formed, onev at each side of the slot 21 and at the inner end mental groove 27 formed in the inner surface ofthe prong 17 of the disk 1 and eX- tending to the inner end of the slot 21 in the disk 1. \Vhen the handles 5 and 6 are separated from each other by the spring 7 so that the parts are in the position shown in 2, the end of the prong 2 1 of the disk 2 rest-s against the lugs 32 and 23 on the underside of the prong 17 and thus checks further separating of the handles by the spring 7, that is, it brings the parts' into the normal open position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. When the handles are closed as shown in Fig. 3, the tongue 26 is withdrawn shown in Fig. 3. On the jaw 25 of the disk '2, I secure a steel tooth 28 which is tapered to a blunt point at its sides and from bottom upward and so shaped that when the handles are closed, this beveled point can pass in between the two lugs 32 and 23 on the underside of the jaw 17 a of the disk 1, the upper surface of this jaw being flush with the inner surface of the disk 2. This jaw is provided in its upper surface with a lengthwise groove 29 extending from the blunt point inward. The disks 1 and 2 can be made of any suitable metal, such as cast iron, malleable iron or drop steel forgings and may be made of any suitable shape, the disk shape being preferred. 7

The button ahaving the usual eye I) is held on the shoe by a two pronged wire fastener or clip d. the ends of which prong are bent up in the leather or lining as shown in dotted lines 0, Fig. 8 so as to clench the prong. To remove such a button from the shoe, the implement is applied on the shoe in such a manner that the eye of the button to be removed is in front of the notch 21, the underside of the button resting on the outer surface of the prong 17 between the transverse stop lug 20 and the end of the prong, and as the handles are pressed to gether, the end of the tooth 28 comes in contact with the eye I) and forces it into the notch 21. As the handles are pressed together, the beveled blunt end of the tooth is forced in between the bottom of the eye I) and the surface of the leather and as this from between the two lugs 32 and 23 as tooth gradually, increases in thickness toward the bottom and gradually increases in width, it spreads the shanks of the clip and draws them upward, thereby straightening out the, clenched parts 6 and also pulling the shanks upward out of the leather so that the clip now straddles the inner or thicker end of the jaw 28. While the beveled tooth 28 forces out the fastener cl from the leather, the fastener rests against the two bottom lugs 32 and 23. While the tooth 28 is gradually being forced in between the lugs 32 and 23, the tongue 26 has been withdrawn from between the lugs 32 and 23 and when the handlesare released and the tooth 28 is withdrawn from between the lugs 32 and 23, the tongue 26 passes in between the lugs 32 and 23 and forces the-button and the open fastening clip suspended therefrom off of the end of the prong 17 and the open clip drops from the button, which latter can then be again fastened to the shoe by means of another fastening clip or prong.

50 is a guide lug projecting upward from the tongue 26 into the guide groove 27.

Having described -my inventionwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the kind described, the combination with two disks pivoted to each other, of a tooth attached to one disk and beveled from the outer surface ofsaid disk toward the inner surfaceof said disk and toward the free end 'of the tooth and also beveled laterally toward the free end of said tooth and a jaw formed opposite the free end of said tooth on the other disk, which jaw is constructed to receive the eye of a button, substantially as set forth.

2. In adevice of the kind described, the combination with two disks pivoted to each other, each having a recess extending inward from the outer edge and forming prongs on each disk, of a toothsecuredto one prong of one disk andbeveled from the outer toward the inner surface of the disk and toward the free end of the tooth and also beveled laterally toward the free end of the tooth, and a pron-g on the other disk and opposite the free end of said tooth and having a notchin its end, substantially as set forth. 1

3. In a device of the kind described, the combination with two disks pivoted to'each other, each having a recess extending 'inward from the outer edge and forming prongs on each disk, of a tooth secured to one prong of one disk and beveled from the outer toward the inner surface of the disk and toward the free end of the tooth and also beveled laterally toward the free to the inner end of said notch, substantially as set forth.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination with two disks pivoted to each other, each having a recess extending inward from the outer edge and forming prongs on each disk, of a tooth secured to one prong of one disk and beveled from the outer toward the inner surface of the disk and toward the free end of the tooth and also beveled laterally toward the free end of the tooth, and a prong on the other disk and opposite the free end of said tooth and having a notch in its end and also having a cross bar on the outer surface adjacent to the inner end of said notch and having two lugs on the inner surface a short distance from the free end of the prong between which lugs the said tooth can pass, substantially as set forth.

5. In a device of the kind described, the

V combination with two disks pivoted to each other, each having a recess extending inward from the outer edge and forming prongs on each disk, of a tooth secured to one prong of one disk and beveled from the outer toward the inner surface of the disk and toward the free end of the tooth and also beveled laterally toward the free end of the tooth, and a prong on the other disk and opposite the free end of said tooth and having a notch in its end and also having a cross bar on the outer surface adjacent to the inner end of said notch, and having two lugs on the inner surface a short distance from the free end of the prong between which lugs the said tooth can pass, the prong on that disk carrying the tooth and opposite the tooth, being provided with a tongue which can also pass between said lugs in the reverse direction of the tooth, substantially as set forth.

6. In a device of the kind described, the combination with two disks pivoted to each other, each having a recess extending inward from the outer edge and forming prongs on each disk, of a tooth secured to one prong of one disk and beveled from the outer toward the inner surface of the disk and toward the free end of the tooth and also beveled laterally toward the free end of the tooth, and a prong on the other disk and opposite the free end of said tooth and having a notch in its end and also having a cross bar on the outer surface adjacent to the inner end of said notch, and having two lugs on the inner surface a short distance from the free end of the prong between which lugs the said tooth can pass, the prong on that disk carrying the tooth and opposite the tooth, being provided with a tongue which can also pass between said lugs in the reverse direction of the tooth, the said prong having two lugs on the inner surface, being provided with a longitudinal groove extending inward from the notch and serving to guide the above mentioned tongue, substantially as set forth.

Signed at College Point, borough of Queens in the county of Queens and State of New York this 15th day of October STANISLAW KLEIN. Witnesses:

FRANK J. MARZAK, WILLIAM SUTTER.

Gopieo of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G. 

